Then again, maybe you will...

Beware! The scammers have sunk to a new, lower than low, low.

I received a phone call about 9:45pm Pacific time. An operator announced that I was receiving a relay call from someone who would be typing their messages to me. The operator would receive the message and relay it to me. He briefly described how I was to answer by saying afterward “Go ahead”, so he would know to type my message before it…sort of like how one talks using a radio system. (I thought “Cool. This is from a hearing impaired person”.) I am familiar with this type of call because our hearing impaired inmates use these devices when they call home to family.

Anyway, the caller says “Hello” – identifies himself as “Bill” - “How are you” - says he is calling in reference to my ad on the KS classifieds…yadda-yadda. It takes a long time having a conversation this way because you have to wait for the operator to read or type the message each way, and then wait for a response. After a few sentences of introduction, “Bill” asks if I am online. I answer “yes”. (Actually, I was wondering all this time, why he didn’t just email me to begin with, instead of doing the relay call thing. It would certainly be quicker giving info about a snake via email, vs what we were doing on the phone.)

Bill, via the operator, asks me to go to my computer because he is sending me an email. It takes a minute or two before I receive it. I start reading it and can’t believe my eyes!!!!!! It’s from a friggin’ scammer. I’m amazed – I’m stunned - I can’t quite believe my eyes. Here is the email “Bill” sent me…..
***
Hi there,
I am Bill Hawky and am highly interested
in your Snake advert placed on Kingsnake and i would be glad to know more about the snake including it recent pictures. Firstly i would like to know the rightowner of the Snake so i can know the Snake mode of feeding and it exact price of it.

Secondly Concerning the shippment moreover i have my own regular shipping company for the pick up you dont need to worry for the shippment anymore.I would be paying you via (Cashier check Or Money Order.)

Thirdly the shipping agent fees will be included to your money. wht you only need to do when you get the payment just get the ready for pick up and also get back to the shipping agent with theer shipping fees so they can be on there way from the pick up .

If you are willing to sell the Snake to me get back to us with your Full Name, Address and your phone nbr for
the payment. Hope to hear from you now.
Thanks
Regards
Bill
***
Now, I’m knowing this sure looks like the “traditional” scammer emails we all have come to know and love…and I’m wanting to say something REALLY rude and obnoxious….but I hesitate, because I’m thinking – what if I’m mistaken??? The hearing impaired relay phone call is throwing me off….tugging at my heart-strings for a moment. I wouldn’t want to be ugly to an innocent hearing challenged caller, right??? Fortunately, my horse sense returns while looking at this glaringly obvious scammer written email.

I ask “Where are you calling from?” After a few seconds, the operator comes back and says, “Missouri”. I think, “yeah, right”. My temper is boiling….grrrrr….

I say, “Operator, can I talk to you for a minute?” The operator has already said at the beginning, that he cannot engage in direct conversation with me. His job is merely to relay the messages back and forth. He says, “I’m sorry, I cannot speak with you directly”. I replied, “This caller is perpetuating the Nigerian scam and THAT DAWG DON’T HUNT”!!! Then I hung up.

I am still marveling over this new low they have sunk to. If I were a naive person who was not familiar with these emails already, I might have been lured in by this hearing impaired phone call. It did throw me off for a while….until I read the email. These people must be making money or they would stop this crap, which proves what W.C. Fields said is still true, lo these many years later. I shall forward this to the Ebola Monkey Man. He will enjoy it, I’m sure If you don’t know who he is, email me privately and I’ll tell you.

Some people really give snakes a bad name.

-----
Linda Hedgpeth
lindafh@frontiernet.net
Sierra Serpents

[ Show Entire Thread ]